Sleep
- Dr Heera
- Apr 30, 2024
- 2 min read
Let’s take a look at another ‘S’ of the pillars of Lifestyle Medicine; Sleep.
As adults we should be getting 7-9 hours of sleep every night. Why is sleep important? Good quality sleep improves our ability to learn and pay attention. It also improves our mood, recharges our mind and body and keeps the body healthy, manages metabolism and helps fight diseases. Our body has its own clock that regulates our sleep. This clock is called the circadian rhythm. Certain factors such as light, food, exercise and temperature can affect our body clock.

Light is one of the most important factors affecting sleep. The light/dark cycle of the sun has a powerful effect on the circadian clock, sleep, and alertness. Your body's circadian clock responds to light, as a signal to be awake, and dark, as a signal to fall asleep. Increase your amount of light during the day to be more alert. Light also affects the production of melatonin; our body’s sleep-promoting hormone. Last time, since humans were mostly only exposed to natural light, their clock was synchronised with sunrise and sunset. However, now we have electricity. Excess or poorly timed artificial light exposure can cause a person’s circadian rhythm to be misaligned with the day-night schedule. This can throw their sleep out-of-whack and induce other concerning health impacts including worsened metabolism, weight gain, cardiovascular problems, and perhaps even an elevated cancer risk
There is solid evidence that exercise helps you fall asleep more quickly and improves sleep quality. Exercise can also help to stabilise your mood and decompress the mind but try to avoid exercising close to bedtime because exercise causes the release of endorphins and rise in body temperature. This may keep some people awake. So exercise at least 1 to 2 hours before going to bed, giving time for your body to wind down. Plus when you exercise outdoors under the sun, your body clock is being regulated.
Other lifestyle habits that can promote sleep:
Eliminate nighttime and reduce daytime caffeinated beverages
Avoid alcohol within 3 hours of bed
Eliminate after- dinner/ late- snacking
Avoid high sodium foods and ensure adequate daytime fluid intake
Develop a wind- down routine (bath/ shower, meditation, music)
Pursue weight reduction if BMI is elevated A big contributor affecting sleep is our gadgets. Blue light emitted from our gadgets increases our blood pressure, heart rate and alertness, leading to disruption of sleep. Make it a routine to minimise electronic use 30- 60 minutes before bedtime. Try staying off your screens in bed and it might help you sleep better tonight!
References:
Kelly, J., & Clayton, J. S. (2021). Foundations of Lifestyle Medicine Board Review Manual (3rd ed.). ACLM.
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